FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2019 - BREAKOUT SESSIONS

Keynote Session | 8:30 - 9:30 AM

Beyond the “ABA vs. Eclectic Debate”: Why are We Making this so Complicated?
Researchers have identified evidence-based practices that can be used to meet the specific needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. However, far too often in practice, there is a fixation on using branded and packaged intervention approaches. Research is beginning to suggest that many of these branded interventions share common elements, and it is likely those shared elements are responsible for positive outcomes. This presentation will encourage a return to parsimony in our intervention selection and use. (1 BCBA CEU)
Brian Boyd, PhD, Director, Juniper Gardens Children's Project, University of Kansas


Concurrent Breakout Set 1 | 9:45 - 10:45 AM

Employment-Related Social Behaviors of Transition-age Youth with Autism  
Success at work requires effective interactions with a variety of people, such as co-workers, customers, and supervisors. This presentation will provide practical strategies for enhancing employment-related social behaviors of transition-age youth with autism in community employment settings. Strategies to promote successful employment across a broad range of professions, including customer service-oriented positions will be shared. Video models from relevant research will be shared to illustrate how transition-age youth with autism can be taught a variety of social skills to enhance job performance.
Leslie Bross, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC

Unique and Positive Aspects of Rural Programming
This hands-on workshop will introduce participants to the programs in our rural school districts such as community integration, movement rooms, after school programs, collaboration meetings, structured teaching areas, and our lending library. Participants will learn strategies to expand their programs and incorporate functional living skills into their daily teaching schedules.
Teresa McVey, MS, Autism Consultant, Chautauqua/Elk Co. Sp. Ed. Coop, Caney, Kansas

What’s Going On? Identifying Functions and Effective Strategies for Repetitive BehaviorMany students with autism engage in repetitive behaviors that may appear to serve a sensory function (for example: hand flapping, scripting). It sometimes can be difficult to determine the true function of these behaviors. Additionally, if used inappropriately sensory based strategies can inadvertently reinforce interfering behaviors. This session will discuss strategies for educators to identify the function of repetitive behaviors and how to determine the effectiveness of strategies put into place.
Cortney Fish, MSW, BCBA, LBA, Training Coordinator, University of Missouri's Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Columbia, MO

Forming Collaborative Teams Schools and Parents to Meet the Needs of Exceptional Children
When working with students who require intensive teaching and specific behavior interventions, school and home teams have to work together to ensure student success. Teams do not always agree on the best intervention which can cause tension between those working with students. To ensure consistency between environments, teams must work together for student success.
Jean James, Blue Valley School District, Overland Park, KS

Let's Play! Developing Social Skills for the Young Child
For the young child, play is the foundation for developing lifetime social competencies. This session focuses on using evidence-based, child-centered activities to explicitly teach play skills resulting in improved social competence. A discussion of foundational steps will provide participants insight about the role adults and peers have in fostering play, communication, and social engagement.
Lori Chambers, M.S., CCC/SLP, TASN Autism and Tertiary Behavior Supports, Kinsley, KS and Mary Pat Brun, MA, TASN Autism and Tertiary Behavior Supports, Wichita, KS

Strategies to Help Your Students Say, "Yay" not "Nay," about School
Reducing problem behavior in the classroom starts with us! As educators, we oversee the antecedents and consequences within the environment. Learn strategies to increase on task behavior while reducing problem behavior within the classroom.
Pam Scharping, MEd, BCBA, LBA, TASN Autism and Tertiary Behavior Supports, Wichita, KS

Starting the Conversation- Navigating ASD and a Child’s Mental Wellness
It is our hope that SPEAK UP will provide education & awareness, bridging gaps between our community, schools and parents. Encouraging conversations with your children, provide parents information on how to identify warning signs, and offer resources if you think your child is at risk. Most importantly, we want to end the stigma associated with mental illness and teach kids that it is okay to ask for help.
Jennifer Levinson, MSEd, Community Outreach Facilitator, SPEAK UP Suicide Prevention Education Awareness for Kids United as Partners, Leawood, KS

The Three "Hows" of a Power Struggle: How to Manage, How to Recover, How to Avoid
The advice "never get into a power struggle" is easier said than done. A power struggle is identified simply as a conflict in which a student refuses to comply with a teacher's request and the teacher continues to engage the student. These struggles take valuable time away from a student’s education and can damage the teacher/student relationship. The characteristics of a student with high functioning autism make him especially vulnerable to power struggles. It is important for educators to recognize the signs of an oncoming power struggle and avoid it. Unfortunately, those signs are easy to miss and educators find themselves in the middle of a conflict. At this point, it is managing and recovering from the struggle that becomes important.
Kathy Brodie, MSEd, TESOL, Academic Counselor, St. Teresa’s Academy, Kansas City, MO

Functions of Behavior: The Early Intervention of Applied Behavior Analysis
This seminar will provide an overview of the principles and processes for determining the functions of challenging behaviors demonstrated by children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Behavior intervention plans cannot be determined or implemented UNLESS there is first an analysis of why the child is engaging in a problem behavior. Functional behavior assessment is the heavy duty work that you do up front so that later you and the child reap the benefits of that work - enabling the child (and family) to have a more meaningful, socially and educationally beneficial life.
Sonja de Boer, PhD, BCBA-D, Independent Consultant, Modesto, CA


Concurrent Breakout Set 2 | 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Sessions from Breakout Set 1, repeated


Concurrent Breakout Set 3 | 1:15 - 2:15 PM

Foundational Supports and Interventions for Elementary Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
With the ever increasing number of students diagnosed with ASD, it is imperative to recognize a set of interventions and strategies that benefit all students on the spectrum.  Students with ASD are increasingly included in general education settings which means the unique characteristics of these students provide challenges for special education teachers and general education staff.  This presentation addresses effective practices for students with ASD, identifying methods that are foundational for learners’ educational success which includes following the routines of the class, reducing challenging behaviors, increasing time on-task, increasing communication skills, supporting social interventions, and helping students progress academically. Included basic supports all teachers of students with autism-related disabilities should have in place for elementary age learners with ASD.
Jennie L. Long, PhD, Associate Professor of Early Childhood Unified and Program Coordinator for Early Childhood Unified, Emporia State University, Emporia, KS

Using Visual Strategies to Facilitate Conversations and Social Interactions
Regardless of age or cognitive-linguistic level, children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) demonstrate unique social skills challenges related to social problem-solving, social appropriateness, and social response. Targeted instruction and support strategies are required to assist these students in navigating the complex and dynamic requirements of everyday situations and achieving more effective and satisfying interpersonal relationships. Visual supports are an effective means for teaching and supporting social skills, including verbal interaction, communicative competence, and use of language assets to exchange thoughts and ideas with others. This presentation will discuss the use of visual strategies and explore tools for teaching conversation and enhancement of social development, such as skills of: initiating a topic, turn-taking, topic maintenance, conversational balance, and fostering appropriate social interactions through “others-focused” thinking. (1 BCBA CEU)
Teresa Kemper, MA, CCC-SLP, Private Practice Speech-Language Therapist, Kemper Communication, Lee’s Summit, MO & Theresa L. Earles-Vollrath, PhD, BCBA, LBA, Professor, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO

An Introduction to Camp Encourage & the Positive Impacts of Supports Focused on: Emotional Well Being, Self-Esteem, Social Development, Recreation, and Skills of Independence
Attendees will be provided an overview of Camp Encourage, a nonprofit in the Kansas City area that provides overnight camps and social connection opportunities for youth with autism spectrum disorder. As a past special educator, the presenter will share lessons learned in the unique setting of an overnight camp while emphasizing the importance of emotional well being, social competency, and recreation skills for support and growth.
Kelly Lee, MEd, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Camp Encourage, Kansas City, MO

Sex Matters: The Unique Presentation of Autism in Females and Overview of the Girls Night Out Model
This session will highlight the unique characteristics of autism in females and the secondary impact of prevalence that potentially exacerbates risk for co-occurring mental health conditions. Most of the session will focus on interventions to promote overall social-emotional health and an overview of the Girls Night Out (GNO) model, a social skills and self-care program designed specifically for girls and young women with autism. Dr. Jamison will highlight key elements of the program, demonstrate strategies and supports utilized within sessions, and present meaningful outcomes for participants and their families. She will discuss a paradigm shift from designing programs towards constructing models that promote inclusive communities for individuals of all abilities, including new efforts to “scale up” the GNO model and supports across the lifespan.
Rene Jamison, PhD, Associate Professor & Licensed Psychologist, Center for Child Health and Development, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS

REsTRAIN Yourself: Components for Reducing Emergency Safety Intervention
Participants will learn the six research-based components to guide and retrain a team on an approach to reducing Emergency Safety Interventions (ESI) within a school or district that is sustainable over time. The six components include leadership oversight, use of data to inform practice, performance development, use of prevention supports, student and family engagement, and debriefing techniques. This training is designed to provide teams with tools to develop an action plan to reduce ESI, develop goals for reducing ESI, monitor and increase treatment integrity, develop an oversight plan, develop a staff recognition plan, and structure debriefing techniques.
Nichole Hitchcock, MSEd, Kansas Autism and Tertiary Behavior Supports Project Staff, Ottawa, KS

When It Is More Than Autism
This session will introduce participants to the most common co-occurring conditions identified in the population of people with ASD. Our discussion will center around the interventions that can be used to address the educational barriers that these conditions create.  The focus of this session is on effective, preventative practices and not on differential diagnosis or dual diagnosis. Participants will learn evidence-based practices, strategies, shared interventions and supports that work for all students regardless of diagnosis or exceptionality. 
Melissa Woods, LSCSW, Behavior Consultant, TASN Autism and Tertiary Behavior Supports, Wichita, KS and Lee Stickle, MSEd, Director, TASN Autism and Tertiary Behavior Supports, and Director, School Mental Health Initiative, Kansas State Department of Education, Lenexa, KS

I Can't Be There Every Moment! Using Self-Management to Support Social Skills
Self-Management is an evidence-based practice that supports individuals ages 3-21. Using this strategy to support students' practice, mastery and generalization of social skills allows students to gain independence in social competencies across settings and contexts. A discussion of the components and examples of its use will prepare participants to implement this practice in programs supporting autistic students.
Lisa Holt, MSEd, Secondary Coordinator, TASN Autism & Tertiary Behavior Supports, Sedan, KS and Gail Ferguson, MAEd, TASN Autism and Tertiary Behavior Supports, Derby, KS   

Thinking Outside the Box: Addressing the Social/Emotional Needs within the Classroom Experience for Early Childhood Students with a Diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder
Our TIPPS (Teaching Intensive Programming and Play Skills) classroom was designed and implemented at the early childhood level to systematically teach social/play/emotional regulation skills to students on the autism spectrum prior to the social demands of kindergarten. Participants of this session will gain an understanding of the program, the assessments and curriculums used, and identify qualifications for classroom and classroom structure.
Katie Cook, PhD, Autism Specialist, Olathe School District, Olathe, KS

SODA: A Social Interaction Learning Strategy for Students with Autism        
Students with autism struggle to make sense of social interactions. This causes serious challenges in all areas of their lives and contributes to feelings of isolation, frustration, decreased self-regulation, and victimization from bullying. SODA is a metacognitive learning strategy to support students grades K-12 with ASD in making sense of the social interactions occurring around them throughout the school day. The SODA strategy, the research supporting its efficacy, guidelines for implementation, and data collection procedures to evaluate the overall efficacy of this intervention will be presented. The session will include participant interaction and conclude with a Q&A.
Marjorie Bock, EdD, Emporia State University, Overland Park, KS


Concurrent Breakout Set 4 | 2:30 - 3:30 PM

Sessions from Breakout Set 3, repeated